National Navigation Systems Division The Small Craft Facility Program

NOAA - AUXILIARY PARTNERSHIP

SCF Training Program Presented by members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Navigation Systems Team Staff

A New Focus for the SCF Program Accuracy A new guideline for interviewing facility owners/managers. A new worksheet that organizes your interview and insures you collect all the necessary information. Quality / Credibity On-scene confirmation by you, the observer. Business cards and brochures that document the existence of the facility. Chartlets that identify location of the facility on the local nautical chart. Professionalism Computer generated reports enhance your credibility.

Presentation Objectives To acquire a general knowledge of the new criteria for qualifying a Small Craft Facility for inclusion on a SC Chart. To become familiar with the items in a SCF-Small Craft Facility that should be reported. To learn how to prepare and forward accurate, complete, credible and professional SCF reports to NOAA.

The available Small Craft Facility training tools are: Information from a new on-line “USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Study Guide.” Visual self-instruction from this SCF PowerPoint presentation on-line. On-line forms that you can use to prepare professional looking reports on your home PC. Personal assistance to help you become a proficient SCF reporter in a short period of time.

Documents needed for SCF Reporting. The study guide and worksheet are now available on line at

… needed for reference. Current nautical chart of your AOR. Coast Pilot for your AOR. Available ON-LINE. Print only the pages that report the data for the AOR where you operate your boat.

Reminder of your Operational Role All Auxiliary vessels while underway should be checking all Aids to Navigation and charts for every type of discrepancy on ATONs (Federal Aids), PATONs (Private Aids), Bridges, Nautical Charts and Small Craft Facilities. Report discrepancies by the most expeditious means. Follow up with a hard copy report within 24 hours, if required.

PLANNING IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS Take the time to pre-plan your Small Craft Reporting events.

… for SCF planning. Reference the latest edition Nautical Chart. Provided free from NOAA when a valid SCF report is accepted by NOAA with an attached chartlet. Correct your chart to the latest LNM- Local Notice to Mariners Writing instrument. (0.7 automatic with HB lead) Small Craft Facility Worksheet

… for SCF success. Without a plan, you are doomed to failure! Review a practical area of your chart at a time. Make it easy on yourself. Prepare a list of the facilities that you plan to check in the order that you plan to check them. Use the SCF Worksheet for recording the information while conducting the interview.

… for SCF Reporting. Check comparative data about the site in the Coast Pilot. All definitions, specifications and narratives about an area must correspond. Recheck your GPS on site against a charted object to insure it is reading accurately. Note this action in your CU report. You must visit the site to validate that the data received corresponds to your observations. Use your camera to further prove your point.

… for SCF reporting. ANY QUESTION ABOUT PLANNING FOR A SMALL CRAFT FACILITY UPDATING MISSION?

Preparing ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet How to prepare and use this SCF tool. Follow along and reference the ANSC 7037-B copy that is being handed out.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Heading Info Enter your District, Division, and Flotilla Numbers. Enter your report number. Year / Numerical Sequence [ ]

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Enter your member information. Member ID Number (8 digits) Last Name First name and Initial Street Address, City, Town and Zip. address Phone number (where you can be reached during normal business hours on the East Coast)

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet SC Chart Reference (Enter) SC Chart Number Horizontal Reference (WGS84 or NAD83) SC Chart Name SC Chart Date (Lower left hand corner) SC Chart Edition (Lower left hand corner) General Location of the SC Facility Enter the name of the charted location where this SC Facility is located.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Location of facility Latitude [ dd-mm-ss.sss N ] Longitude [ ddd-mm-ss.sss W ] Locating Method Used – DGPS, GPS, WAAS. EPE or HDOP. Select one. QC Reading. Show the reading.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Date of Investigation Time of Investigation. Facility Availability – Annual of Seasonal. If Seasonal – Date opens on – Date closes on. Daily Hours of Operation. Time opens and time closes. Days of Operation.

ANSC 7037-BSCF Worksheet Access to the Facility by land. Show the land vehicle directions from a major route. Comments – enter any required or needed information about the facility. Attachments to this report: Business Card (evidence you visited the site) Brochure of facility (enhances the credibility of your report ) Chartlet (places the marina in a specific area for the cartographer, especially when the marina is not charted) Data from the Internet. (NOAA doesn’t have time to search the Internet.) Photographs (Provide further evidence to build confidence in your report)

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet NOAA Chart Order – NOAA will provide a chart to the observer’s address listed on the report for any submission that is acceptable to NOAA.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet SC Facility Name – Show the corporate name of the Small Craft Facility. SCF Reference Number – If an existing SCF, show the Facility Number from the SC Chart. SCF Address – Enter: Street address. City Town Zip Code Telephone Number – Enter the business phone number for the SCF.

ANSC 7037-B SCF Worksheet Name and title of the POC – Person of Contact Address of POC – Person of Contact. Indicate whether the report is: NEW – SCF not listed on the SC Chart and meets all of the criteria. CHANGE – SCF is listed on the SC Chart and has a change or changes. DISCONTINUE – SCF is listed on the SC Chart but no longer meets all of the criteria.

SCF Criteria SCF is listed on a SC-Small Craft Chart. SCF is a public facility. SCF has an approach depth – show the depth. SCF has depth alongside – show the depth. SCF has to have Transient Berths or Moorings available to the general public – show the number available. SCF has to have a Pump-Out Station or have one available nearby under municipal control. SCF must sell fuel to the general public – gasoline or diesel.

SCF Services Respond YES or NO to the other questions regarding the services offered by the facility. If the services are offered nearby, indicate the directions to the service provider in the “Comments” section.

SCF Program NOAA Credit is awarded upon receipt of: ANSC 7035-B USCGAUX SCF Worksheet. Copy of chart section showing the item or object being reported. The other pertinent documentation. Submit the info to NOAA via your DSO-AN. Acknowledgement provided via DSO-AN.

Navigation Systems Web Site Download a copy of the SCF USCGAUX Worksheet from the Navigation Systems Web Site. All of the instructions that you will need in order to update a facility are included on the USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Study Guide. “SCF USCGAUX Program Training Presentation” A copy of this “SCF USCGAUX Program Training Presentation” (PowerPoint) is included on the Navigation Systems Web Site for your continuous review and self training.

SCF Update Reporting Conduct your interview on-scene and record the information on a “USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Worksheet.”

Small Craft Facility Updating Enhance your Chart Update Reports with data on every Marine Facility within your AOR.

SCF Visit Frequency Can be conducted on an annual basis. You can use: OPFAC while underway on a Safety or ATON Patrol. By private vehicle or on foot. Conduct as part of a PV visit.

SCF reporting criteria review To be reportable, the Small Craft Facility must: Charted on a Small Craft Chart. Have an approach depth. Have an alongside depth. Have a pump out facility (or have access to a municipality or community facility). Sell fuel (Diesel or Gas) Provide transient berths and/or moorings. (in addition to its regular facilities.) Must be a public use facility, not private.

SCF reporting criteria... When the Small Craft Facility does not meet the SCF criteria, submit your facility report as a Coast Pilot Update. Pre-check whether the Facility is referenced in the Coast Pilot. Review your nautical chart. If not charted, you may submit a chart update for the facility. Check that the dock size is chartable.

SCF reporting criteria... When the Small Craft Facility is listed but has been discontinued,or does not meet the criteria for a SCF, report it as a Small Craft Facility “Discontinue.” Explain the reason for the report. The Coast Pilot will be sent a copy of this report and, if it is listed in the Coast Pilot, will remove it. You don’t have to submit a separate Coast Pilot Update report.

Uniforms As a representative of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, you should be in the proper uniform while conducting a Small Craft Facility reporting mission. If not operating under orders, notify your FC or VFC prior to the start of this mission.

Requirement As a representative of the USCGAUX, you must always act in a professional manner and be knowledgeable about the procedure for verifying a Small Craft Facility. You are the Coast Guard to the facility owner.

Visit Procedure 1. Focus the visit on the owner/manager. 2. Introduce yourself and provide a clear explanation of the purpose of the visit. Explain that you are participating in an Auxiliary program to update Small Craft Charts with marine facility information in support of NOS/NOAA charts and other publications. 3. Demonstrate how the information is used: Show a Small Craft Chart. Show Coast Pilot references. Indicate that other almanacs and ENCs pick up information from NOAA.

Visit Procedure 4. Be prudent when answering questions. Avoid technical questions outside your expertise. Never perform measurements or any other technical activity regarding the data that you receive. 5. Simply record the data as it is presented. 6. Be discreet when you don’t have an answer to a question. Refer the owner/operator to the nearest Coast Guard unit. Follow up and the get the owner an answer.

Visit Procedure 7. Close out your visit with a summary Review the information that you received and recorded on the USCGAUX Small Craft Facility Workshop. Express appreciation for the level of cooperation that was provided.

How to Get Credit for your Chart Updating and Small Craft Facility reporting activities: Use a ANSC-7030 Activity Report – Mission form. Submit your report to your IS Staff Officer for entry in AUXDATA within 15 days.

Type of Resource Individual Mission41 Remarks Give reason for the mission

As part of your training, complete a SCF Small Craft Facility on your marina or yacht club this week. Fully document your report! Mail it to the DSO-AN

We invite you to join the UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY “Chart Updating Team” Work with us as we check all of the Small Craft Facilities in your Division or Flotilla AORs.